Resonating Light: White Noise
by KayMarieXW
Summary: Supplemental chapter of Resonating Light. 1: What happened in the turbulent summer of 2017 that made Jane hate Bella so much?


**Stephenie Meyer owns all things Twilight. I just can't resist spending obsessive amounts of time in her world.**

**AN: I started to write this as a really short explanation of Fred and Bella's conversation at the end of chapter 10, but got a little carried away!**

**PLEASE READ:**

**If you have NOT read Resonating Light, then this will contain MAJOR SPOILERS for my story, if you have no intention of ever reading Resonating Light then you could read this on its own and a few bits might make you smile but quite a lot of it won't make sense. ****I highly recommend that you read Resonating Light before reading this story.**

**If you have read chapters 1-10 of Resonating Light then this supplemental chapter will give hints about future plot developments but hopefully nothing too revealing. It will explain some of the character's attitudes though.**

**Resonating Light – White Noise**

**Summer of 2017**

At the beginning of the year 2017, the Volturi was still organised in its traditional structure. The three brothers Aro, Marcus and Caius ruled, with Aro taking the lead. The Elite Guard were the next in the hierarchy. The members of the Elite Guard were Jane, Alec, Demetri, Felix, Renata, Fred and Bella. The only other rank in the Volturi was the Eminent Guard, which was made up of all the other vampires loyal to the Volturi who served the brothers on a permanent basis. There were, and still are, other vampires who are affiliated with the Volturi, but unless they dedicate all their time to the Volturi, they are not ranked among the Guard.

The summer of 2017 was an extremely volatile time in the castle. There was increasing tension amongst the Elite Guard. The strain started in 2008, when Aro first enlisted Fred and Bella to join the Elite ranks, even though Fred had only just arrived and Bella was still only a few years changed. Over the years the animosity continued to fester and grow. Over time the Elite Guard split themselves into two equal groups. Jane, Alec and Felix were at odds with Fred, Bella and Demetri. Renata was the only one who stayed neutral.

Aro found the rivalry amongst his Elite Guard amusing and entertaining. However, he wanted to make sure that none of his favourites were killed so he had a Challenge Chamber constructed underneath the castle. A set of rules were instigated to allow scores to be settled without the risk of permanent damage. This allowed the Guard to function fairly normally for a while.

In the summer of 2017 things deteriorated rapidly for a variety of reasons.

Bella was already a very accomplished shield but she had not mastered maintaining permanent protection of anyone but herself and Renesmee. Shielding anyone else required her full concentration. This left those she loved vulnerable to Jane and Jane enjoyed sending shots of pain at anyone who was loyal to Bella whenever she got the chance.

The day of the incident in question, Bella and Fred arrived back to the castle to find Nathan and Jane engaged in a massive argument. Jane was not supposed to hurt Nathan, but Nathan had always lacked a sense of self preservation and liked to push his luck. Jane got so frustrated with him that without warning, she maliciously hit him hard with her gift. Bella was furious and a red mist spread through her mind. She threw her shield over Nathan, but this time it didn't just deflect Jane's gift as it always had in the past. This time Bella's shield took on the qualities of a mirror and it reflected Jane's power back to her.

Jane hit the floor, screaming in agony and at first no one really knew what was happening. Jane's reflexive response to attack was to increase the intensity of her gift, which only amplified her own torture. Bella realised fairly quickly that she was responsible, but was too angry and upset to adjust her shield and too frightened to lower it in case Jane's torment was diverted back to Nathan. So they were essentially stuck in a loop that everyone else was powerless to stop. In the end, Felix and Alec had to carry Jane far enough away that Bella and Nathan were out of range of her gift. They both got a dose of her pain for their trouble.

This was the first time any of them realised the full potential of Bella's gift. Not only could she shield herself and others, but she could also detect what type of gift was being used against her and reflect it back at its source at her will. This was how she killed Keith in the valley. Once he decided to try and use his power against her he stood no chance. During 2017, she had nowhere near the control she currently has, but this was when the Volturi became fully aware of the possibilities. She has spent a lot of time since then practising and perfecting.

The aftermath of the incident with Jane was that Fred, Bella, Renesmee, Nathan and Demetri decided to leave Volterra and form their own family. They had no intention of challenging the Volturi, but they wanted a peaceful life away from the bitterness and bickering.

Aro was devastated. He loved Bella as his daughter and Renesmee as his granddaughter and would miss them terribly. He was also acutely aware of the massive blow to the Volturi's power that the loss of their gifts would be. He would never harm them or force them to stay but he knew he needed to take decisive action to try and convince them not to leave. He talked with Marcus and Caius and together they formulated a radical plan to keep their family together.

Bella was asked to officially join the family and given privileges almost equal to their own. Felix, Jane and Alec were demoted. The new rank of Exalted Guard was created just for them and whilst they still ranked above the Eminent Guard, they were now ranked below the Elite Guard. Felix and Jane especially, were livid. The brothers told them in no uncertain terms that they would be valued amongst the Volturi if they could accept the changes, but if they couldn't they would be free to leave.

Renesmee was not given her position of power in the Volturi family until later. At this point she was still seen as a child by most of the Guard even though she was fully matured. It didn't take her very long to prove herself though.

It was the start of a new era of the Volturi. Peace was restored and Bella's new position in the family strengthened the loyalty of many of the Eminent Guard who had been growing increasingly unhappy with Felix and Jane's abuse of their influence.

Obviously Jane and Felix still hate Bella and Fred, and begrudge their demotion, but Aro can read their minds and knows that he still has their loyalty and respect. Alec was more resigned to the situation. His and Jane's relationship was permanently damaged as he blames her for his demotion and she is annoyed that his resentment is aimed at her and not at Bella. Alec is hoping that he will be promoted back to the Elite Guard in the future and at the moment his chances look good.

**AN: Hope you liked that brief summary of the summer of 2017. There is more to it than is written here but I can't tell you anything else at the moment without giving too much away. Nathan will arrive home to Volterra in two chapters time and you will find out more about him then.**

**I'd love to hear your thoughts.**


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